Thieves in Paradise
Seneca surveys the guild's job board, dragging her finger lightly over the papers. None of them seemed all that exciting, and she especially didn't fancy carrying a woman across the beach. However, one catches her eyes, Thieves in Paradise, and after looking over the information, she grins, tearing it off the board. She walks over to an unsuspecting Gryphon, offering the paper. "Hey Gryphon, I'd like to take this job, I've been dying to bash some heads in," She says, as though this is a statement people commonly make. "You've had this absolutely horrid expression on your face ever since you came back from the party at Koma Inu, and I want you to ask whatever ever girl you met there to go with you to this resort. You can have my ticket, and your share of the jewels, just as long as you get outta here for a few days," Seneca says, giving him a devilish grin. Gryphon's mouth drops open but he quickly recovers saying,"Well that's a bit blunt isn't it? And how did you know I met a girl?" Seneca taps his chin when it drops open, sneering at him "When have I ever been known for being anything but blunt?" She asks, then at his second question, she lets out a laugh. "Well, Gryphon, I figured it was a girl, but if you swing that way then whatever, I won't judge," She says, shrugging her shoulders. She then waves the paper to change the topic discussion. "We can talk about this later, right now, there are people who need saving," Gryphon doesn't even try to stutter out a response. Instead, he equipped his white cloak and a simple bow to have at ready. He rolls his eyes and says,"Lead the way O' blunt one." Seneca titters at Gryphon's expense, leading the way out of the guild hall and towards the beach. At Akane Beach Resort Seneca walks up to the front desk as though she owns the place, skipping ahead of the people in line. She earns a few glares, but she does nothing to excuse her behaviour, instead keeping her sights set on the employee "Hi there. I'm here on a job request with my partner, Gryphon Hayashi," She points to the blue-haired man, before continuing on. "I'd like to speak with Mr Hoytaro," She says, and the employee looks none too pleased about her interrupting their current patron, but looks at the job request Seneca has offered. After examining the paper, the person behind the desk guides them away, towards a door labelled "Manager's Office" in gold plating. They return to their post right after, and Seneca barges right through the door. "Hello~" She purrs, sauntering over to the desk where a well-kept man in his late thirties sits. "I'm Seneca Lanzo, here on account of a job request you posted. My friend, Gryphon Hayashi, is here too, and we'll be working together to get rid of the thieves," She explains, her gaze moving about the room, taking in the various decorations. The man seems surprised by her blunt and to-the-point introduction but nonetheless greets them, "Well, as you can see from the flier, I'm Seiji Hoytaro." He says, shaking both their hands. "I ask that you get moving immediately. The thieves mostly attack the bar, where people tend to have their money and valuables out, so I suggest starting there." He says, handing them a map of the resort. "There are six thieves based on varying eyewitness accounts, but be aware that there could be more or less than that." He adds, and with that, he ushers them out the door, and they begin walking towards the bar. "I can't believe people still come here. It's not as though the reports are kept hidden, why would they run the risk of getting robbed or attacked. I swear people get dumber and dumber by the minute." Seneca says, sighing exasperatedly. "Since the thieves are probably just as stupid as the guests, we could probably blend in pretty easily, and then attack them when they approach us. I'll order something expensive, which should attract their attention, and then you can knock 'em out with one of your arrows." She says. "They probably travel in pairs, one for blinding and the other for stealing or assaulting, so be ready for that," She adds. "Got it," Gryphon states shortly. The edges of his temper were flaring up but he held his tongue and requipped into clothing so he could blend in. His striped t-shirt hung a little loosely over his khaki shorts and a blue button up hung open over that. His bow switched to a small one on his forearm. He followed Seneca to the bar and pretended to be lost in thought and have a general whimsical tourist look on his face. He just hoped no one would recognise him. Seneca steps up to the bar, ordering the most expensive thing she finds. She doesn't even bother saying it, just points as though she hasn't got a single brain cell. The bar attendant whips up the mixture, and she doesn't even bother finding out what it's made of, instead watching for any suspicious behaviour. The drink takes a whole two minutes to make and is in this ridiculously ornate cup when she gets it. She takes one sip, one tiny sip, and she wants to gag from the overwhelming sweetness. "I should've made Gryphon do this." She grumbles under her breath, but she continues on anyway. She's fairly certain it has some sort of alcohol in it, but the overwhelming strawberry flavour is quite distracting. A few moments later, she feels a tap on her shoulder, and she turns to face them. A scrawny, tall man is there, and he's standing much too close for what Seneca would normally stand for. However, instead of punching him like she wanted to, she simply puts on her most girlish smile. "What do you need?" She asks, batting her eyelashes innocently. The man takes a few moments to respond, before clearing his throat lightly. "Well, I was wondering what a cute girl was doing here by herself. It's quite easy to take advantage of someone of your stature." He says, and his concerned smile turns into something much more sinister as he raises his hand. Before he can produce a blinding flash, Seneca grabs it, slamming it into the bar. He lets out a loud scream of pain, and Seneca chuckles, leaning down next to his ear. "Who's getting taken advantage of?" She asks, before pulling him up by his hair, and then smashing his head against the surface, knocking him out. The other thief rose from his place at the back of the room, and begins to make his way out of the bar, trying to go unnoticed, and Seneca is too wrapped up with the first guy to see him. Before the second thief makes it very far he feels a slight pressure against his side. An arm is casually slung over his shoulders while the hidden crossbow presses deeper into his side. Gryphon smiles pleasantly and laughs as if he's heard a great joke while walking the man towards the door. "Please do not make this difficult. You see I'm already having a bad day and both our partners have already caused a scene. Now I get to explain why a member of a respectable legal guild has just bashed someone's face into a bar. If you decide to be a hassle as well, I will have to paralyse you and apologise while I 'remove my drunk friend from the premises. So choose wisely," Gryphon offers with a continuous smile. The man begins to struggle and feels a small arrow penetrate his side. He goes limp and Gryphon pretends to be embarrassed. As they make their way towards the manager's office Gryphon apologises saying," I'm sorry about my friend here, he had a little too much to drink in there." When they get to their destination Gryphon cuffs the man in anti-magic cuffs and calls for someone to take in the first set of thieves. He waits for Seneca and her crook. Seneca laughs jovially as she slings the guy up and over her shoulder, joining Gryphon as they head back to the manager's office. She doesn't seem the least bit troubled by his weight, nor the blood that drips from the cut on his forehead. She also acts no differently from before, proving she is either very capable of holding down alcohol, or she was just pretending to drink it. When they reach the destination, she all but drops the guy from her shoulder onto the ground, and he groans, but she doesn't seem to care. The manager looks panicked at seeing the state he's in. "Did you guys have to resort to such violent measures? I was certain they were just petty criminals, but I guess you guys are the professionals..." He trails off, and then he presses a button on his desk. After a moment, two men walk through the door, and they escort the two criminals out of the area, and Seneca presumes all the way to prison. "That's a third of them. How do you think we should get the rest of them? I doubt the others will try and avenge their friends, after all they're petty criminals. And while they don't seem too smart, they probably won't fall for the same trick twice." She begins making her way back to the resort area, walking a few steps ahead of her blue-haired partner, though she makes sure to stay within range so that she can hear him. Once again, Gryphon manages to hold his tongue and instead focuses on the job he knows must be finished. After thinking for a moment he says,"Why not get all four or so remaining in one go? I'm still kind of famous... maybe we could work that to our advantage?" Seneca nods her head, turning around to face Gryphon, but continuing on her path, now walking backwards. "Wow, can't believe I didn't think of that from the start. Maybe I should've just put you in charge of planning." She says, and for once it seems like she might genuinely be complimenting someone. "Then again, I doubt I would've been able to annihilate that guys ugly face had I followed a plan of yours. You're such a stickler for the rules." Oh, there it is. She then quickly moves onward to discuss his plan. "So, pretty boy, should I act like a total fangirl and fawn over you until we gain a crowd, or should I just shout that Gryphon Hayashi has graced this earth with appearance and wait for them all to come running?" She asks, and despite the rather sarcastic tone she asks the question in, she seems serious about it. "But I swear if any of them attack me for being too close to you, I will ruin any chances you have with the mysterious someone from the party." She threatens, glaring him down meaningfully, before turning back around. However, she was a step too late and she walked right into a pole. She probably deserved, for being an absolute pain this entire trip. Thanks to the slow pace she was walking at, she sustained no injury other than to her pride, which she was at least partially thankful for. She tries to play it off, walking around the pillar like nothing happened and she manages not to make a single facial reaction, but it was quite obvious to everyone and their mom what had just happened. Gryphon, being the gentleman he is, manages to bit his cheek to stop the laughter's escape. He once again reminded himself that all he had to do was get through this job with her and they would be done. He cleared his throat before saying,"The announcement might not be a bad idea but I wish you hadn't worded it like that. I was a model, not a god." Seneca's constant insults were starting to wear his patience thin but he promised he would never lose his temper without true reason. Admittedly, the girl did have some kinder moments but she would immediately resort back to sarcasm. The male pushed it out of his mind and continued speaking his plan. "I feel like we should try and do this on the beach. There's less of a chance of damaging people or property that way," he states. Seneca shakes her head, clicking her tongue in disagreement. "Gryphon, I've seen quite a few fangirls in my time. They wouldn't know the difference between a god and a model if it bit them," she says, letting out a small chuckle. "But I promise I won't say anything that'll make you sound otherworldly," she says, raising her right hand, "You have my word," Her green eyes are serious as she says this, and then she makes her way towards the beach, toeing off her shoes so she doesn't get sand in them, relishing in the feeling of sand beneath her feet and in between her toes. "You think drowning the thieves in the sand would be too harsh?" she asks, slowing her pace to walk next to Gryphon. "I mean, I already pounded that first guy pretty hard, so'' I'' don't care about being harsh, but since this is your plan, I don't want to do anything you're against," she adds, kicking up small clouds of sand as though she's a little kid. "Try to capture them without causing a scene this time please. This will be a make it or break it situation. We either get them all or tracking the ones we lose will be difficult because they'll be able to recognize my face... but maybe not yours. Come here for a second," he commands and pulls Seneca into the shadows. Her equips a large box that unfolds to reveal a large collection of makeup. Gryphon begins to work on changing the female's face completely. "I'm doing this as a safety precaution. If any of them do manage to escape they won't recognize you if we have to go after them once more. I warn you now that I'm altering your face structure to make you utterly unrecognizable." Once he finishes, he sets it with a translucent, waterproof power and pulls out an elegant mirror. He dusts it off and holds it up for Seneca to see her newly disguised face. Meanwhile he requips into swim trunks to appear as ifhe's been on the beach for some time now. Seneca allows herself to be pulled into the shadows, mildly grumbling as a make-up kit is pulled out though she makes no move to stop him. After a few moments, she looks into the mirror he offers, and gawks. She lightly touches her face, dragging her fingertips across it carefully though nothing gives. Her normally rounded cheeks have become more defined, and combined with her sharp jawline, she hardly recognizes herself. He even changed her eye color, the bright green she usually has altered to a deep ocean blue. "Might as well change up my hair as well," she thinks aloud, pulling it out of the high twin tails and letting it fall down her back. She carefully pushes her bangs from her face, and then braids her in a fishtail braid. "Alrighty then, time to go," She says, walking back towards the beach. She walks over to a a semi-crowded area of the beach, wandering around as though she's looking for a place to sit. She then glances over to Gryphon's direction, her eyes growing wide as she sees the ex-model. "Oh my gosh, is that Gryphon Hayashi?!" She shouts, pretending to stumble over herself as she makes her way over to the blue haired male. "Wow, it is!" She cheers, and this gains the attention of the crowd, who all turn to look. When they realize that Seneca was right, they all get up, abandoning their stuff in favour of greeting him. Most ask for autographs, while some plead to shake his hand, and Seneca quietly slips towards the edge of the group. From there she's able to keep a watch on the beach and still look invested in Gryphon. The male forgot how overwhelming these crowds got and worked to keep his breathing steady and flashed an attractive smile. He signed autographs, shook hands, took pictures, but most of all kept his eyes peeled for the thieves. A short, mousy man was crouched trying to pick pocket a teenage girl. Gryphon equipped a tiny hand bow and hit the man with a few paralysis darts and he's down. He scans the crowd for Seneca and panics when the girl doesn't appear in his line of sight. More fans surround him, pushing closer as his mind trails back to when he did this as a professional career. He thinks, "It's so suffocating... how did I do this before?" Seneca watches as two other thieves walk towards the abandoned beach items, eyeing them up as they move to grab them. Before they make another step, however, they are sunk up to their heads in the sand. Luckily they don't make a sound other than a grunt of annoyance, and Seneca skips over to their sides. "Looks like you're in a predicament, eh?" She asks, tilting her head slightly. "But, I saw you trying to steal stuff, so I suppose you got what you deserved. If you stay quiet, I promise I will get you out before they even notice you were here." She says, and they ponder over her offer for a moment and then nod their heads. "Thank you for cooperating." She says with a smile, and then she moves back towards the group. She asserts herself to the front, much to the chagrin of the fans, and she leans up slight to whisper that she'd taken two of the men down. "That just leaves one, right?" She asks, her voice too low to be picked up by the people around her, but loud enough for him to hear her. "If they haven't shown up after this, I'm not..." She trails off, her eyes catching on a tall woman who has just entered the beach. She eyes the crowd as though they are prey, and then slowly makes her way over. Just like Seneca had, she asserts herself to the front of the crowd, immediately pushing anyone who gets in her way to the ground. "Gryphon Hayashi, eh? I was hoping someone like you would come to this resort. I expected someone much more confident though I guess that's what happens when you leave the business." She says, and man Seneca is practically fuming because it's her job to insult her guildmates down, not some stranger's. "Excuse me miss, but there's a line, and you're gonna have to apologise to everyone here. Your existence poisons the mood." Seneca hisses and the woman turns to face her. "And if I don't?" She asks. "Well, miss, I believe if you don't, I might just shove some sand where the sun don't shine." She grounds out, raising her fists as though she's going to punch the woman, which she probably will if given the opportunity. The woman simply scoffs, raising her hands up in defeat. Seneca relaxes at the sign of surrender, but that a mistake. A blinding flash explodes from the woman's hand, promptly blinding Seneca and she lets out a frustrated cry. The people that had gathered around Gryphon all scatter in fright, tripping and falling in their blind daze. The woman lands a punch squarely to Seneca's gut, effectively knocking the wind out her, and she sinks to the sand, and then she sinks into the sand, disappearing from sight. The woman looks around frantically for Seneca, who at this point doesn't need her vision, just feeling the vibrations in the sand from the people above her. She moves right below the woman, reaching out to grab her ankles, and then yanking down hard, pulling her down into the sand up to her elbows, preventing her from using her magic. Seneca then rises from the sand, shaking the debris from her person and onto the woman. "Well, Gryphon, she insulted you, so I'll allow you to finish her off. Use your weird voodoo arrows and knock her unconscious or something." She says, waving her hands flippantly. She then moves back to the two men she had previously buried in the sand and drags them out by their collars. They begin to thank her, and then she knocks their heads together, which renders them unconscious. She tosses them over to where the woman is, and then finds the mousy guy Gryphon had taken care of and lays him next to her duo. While Seneca is away, Gryphon looks the tall woman dead in the eyes as he says, "You expected confidence? I am confident in my guild mates and in my own strength, not in artificial looks that I didn't choose to have. Don't try and patronize me for something you know nothing about." Once he finishes his little speech he knocks her out with a paralysis arrow. Tears threaten to drip from his eyes but her angrily brushes them off and cuffs the thieves. When Seneca gets closer he grabs two of them and walks them towards the pick up location, knowing the girl will follow him. Once they're safely in the custody of the retrieval squad Gryphon switches to his cloak and trousers, pulling the hood up to block his face. His voice is bland as he says, "Good job Seneca. Thank you for asking me to be your partner." Seneca follows, dragging behind her two thieves like Gryphon. While her normal behaviour dictates that she should probably be making some terrible jab, she stays silent, the tension rolling off of Gryphon stifling her. She hands over the thieves without a fuss and then begins to walk towards the manager's office with Gryphon in tow. When he speaks up, she nearly stops, his flat voice raising multiple warning flags. "Hey, what's up?." She asks, keeping her tone light as they continue moving forward. "I promise I'll still give you the tickets if that's what you're worried about," she jokes. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," he replies with a short laugh. They both know it was horrifically fake but Gryphon shakes his head to signify he doesn't want to talk about it. The fact that that woman could read right through his mask bothered him. He's never been called out on his lack of confidence before... because he didn't let anyone see it. He follows his partner with a stiffness about him, trying to count the minutes until they would be back in the guild where he could go collapse in his room. "Alright," She says, marching onward. They collect their reward with little else happening, and then they leave. When they get back to the guild, before Gryphon can run off, Seneca gives him the ticket as she said she would. "Whatever's bothering you is obviously not nothing. Luckily, you don't have to deal with it right now 'cause I suck at mushy feelings. However, I suggest you try and talk it out with someone because you can't have any fun with your lover if you've got too much going on up here," she says, flicking his forehead. "Thank you for your concern Seneca. You may not be mushy but you show feelings in other ways. Trust me, I don't want to do anything to upset her so I'll figure this out," he says pointing to the place she had just flicked. He almost looked like a lost puppy as he sadly smiled and left to his room. "And Seneca, you were a great partner." "Aha! So you admit it was a girl, I knew I was right!" She cheers. At his comment, she places her hands on her hips and puffs out her chest proudly. "Well, of course, I was a great partner!" She brags, "I mean, not only did I take care of those thieves no problem, I have also so generously given you the chance to profess and act upon all the mushy feelings you want over the course of three entire days. Not only that, but there's no way anyone can interrupt you since you guys will be on your own getaway!" She proclaims. "I honestly don't understand why others can't see my charm," She says, feigning a sigh of sadness, before turning away, heading to her own room.